I find that United Airlines offers an above-average experience in longhaul economy, particularly on flights from the West Coast, as I experienced on my Los Angeles to London 787-9 flight in economy class.
United Airlines 787-9 Economy Class Review (LAX-LHR)
While my default is always to use SAS EuroBonus miles if there is space available, here I booked a revenue ticket because there was zero award space on the outbound journey and I did not want to leave it to chance since we had a very full 10 days in Germany and Switzerland planned.
I Booked A Basic Economy Ticket…
For the first time ever on United, I bought a “basic economy” ticket for myself (and my kids) to save $100 per per-person. I bought this restricted ticket for several reasons:
- This was a 100% confirmed trip: absent a freak accident, the date/time would not change
- I’ve dropped from Premier 1K to Premier Gold in MileagePlus, meaning I now only get complimentary EconomyPlus seating for one companion…meaning I’d have to pay over $200 for an EconomyPlus ticket for my other child…that would have put the additional cost to fly in EconomyPlus at over $500 and I have far better uses for $500 when my kids don’t care one way or the other and certainly do not need the extra legroom.
- United has a generous “family seating guarantee” even on basic economy tickets. We were assigned seats in the second-to-last row of the plane, but instantly upon ticketing, which is huge considering the flight went out with every seat full
- We bought just before the April 1st cutoff, where basic economy tickets no longer earn miles (they still earn lifetime miles, however)
Check-In + Boarding
My wife Heidi is my MillionMiler companion, meaning when we travel together internationally on Star Alliance, all four of us can visit the lounge prior to the flight. Here, since I was only allowed one guest, I did not bother to try to even stop by the United Club or Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge at LAX.
Instead, we showed up at LAX about an hour before departure (7:00 pm), quickly cleared security via PreCheck, then almost immediately boarded our flight…boarding had already begun but my Premier Gold status gives me Boarding Group 1 status, even on a basic economy ticket.
United Airlines 923
Los Angeles (LAX) – London (LHR)
Tuesday, March 24
Depart: 8:00 PM
Arrive: 1:30 PM+1
Duration: 10hr, 30min
Aircraft: Boeing 787-9
Distance: 5,456 miles
Seat: 56D, E, F
Stepping onboard, we made the long walk to the second-t0-last row.
Seats
United’s legacy 787-9 economy class cabin is arranged in a 3-3-3 configuration. While the 787 offers better cabin pressure, larger windows, and quieter engines, nine-abreast economy seating is still nine-abreast economy seating…
Standard economy offers 31 inches of pitch with a 17 inch pitch. I was seated in 56F, and found the seat comfortable enough for the flight. Padding was fine and the headrest was adjustable. I survived even when my seatmate in front of me reclined.
Each seat included a personal entertainment screen, USB-A power under the monitor, a universal A/C outlet (two for every three seats), a tray table, and a small literature pocket. There are individual air vents in the cabin, which are always appreciated.
In terms of bedding, I appreciated that United offers neck pillows in economy class…we all used them. United is transitioning from its translucent gauze-like blankets to higher quality ones, but our flight had the older ones…however, I came prepared with a duvet from home. Unfortunately, I was not able to sleep and did not get a wink on the flight…try as I might, I struggle greatly to sleep in economy class.
Wi-Fi + IFE
I can prepared, not only with duvets for the kids, but also over-ear headphones, since their ears are too small for the free earbuds that United hands out. With a screen full of movies, TV shows, and games, they stayed occupied for the first 90 minutes or so of the flight before falling asleep and sleeping until minutes before we touched down in London.
Yes, my decision to fly in economy class proved correct for the kids!
Unable to sleep, I did enjoy a psychological thriller called The Housemaid and connected to Wi-Fi (free using my T-Mobile pass) and got a lot of work done.
Food + Drink
United really has done a great job with its economy class dining in terms of quantity and I think it beats all of its U.S. and European competitors except Turkish Airlines…you won’t go hungry and teh quality isn’t terrible either, even if the food isn’t exactly aesthetically pleasing.
Dinner
Service began with an appetizer…breadsticks and cheese and a beverage. Beer and wine are free on longhaul United flights, though I stuck to seltzer water.
In terms of mains courses, three choices were available: chicken, beef, or pasta. There were also some Indian vegetarian meals loaded. My chicken cacciatore was perfectly acceptable for an economy class meal and was served with a green salad, bread roll, and brownie bar for dessert.
For a little variety, I ordered a gluten-free meal for Augustine and a child’s meal for Claire Marie. The gluten-free meal was a nice chicken stew and the child’s meal was cheese ravioli.
Midnight Snack
Halfway through the flight, flight attendants offered a substantial hot sandwich with chicken and pesto. The amount of sugar (40g) and sodium (1040mg) in this sandwich (according to the label) was obscene, though that was certainly an error since the total carbs were only 31g.
Breakfast
90 minutes (more like 45 minutes for us in row 56) before landing, a hot breakfast was served. The regular choices were eggs or pancakes, both served with fruit and bread…another respectable meal and a lot more than you will get on any other carrier operating from LAX-LHR.
The kids were fast asleep, but the kid’s meal was a pancake with vanilla sauce and the gluten-free meal was shakshua, which I decided to add to my platter and found it very good.
Even the illy coffee was strong. I must give United credit for at least ensuring its passengers are well-fed. Claire Marie woke up about 10 minutes before landing and I was glad I had saved the fruit off her breakfast tray!
Lavatories
The United 787-9 has four lavatories in between the front and rear economic class cabin. There are no lavatories in the rear of the plane (just crew rest and the galley). The lavatory was cleaned when I used it mid-flight.
Service
Interactions were fairly limited, but the flight attendants (a mix of Los Angeles and London based attendants) were friendly and efficient. Most of all, I appreciated that they promptly cleared away trays after dinner so that my empty tray did not have to sit for 45 minutes.
CONCLUSION
I may not have slept, but it was a very productive flight for me and my kids got eight hours of sleep. United also impressed with a lot of food onboard…its investments in the onboard product go beyond business class.
This worked out well for the three of us…I don’t like making family trips without my wife Heidi, but she had obligations that forced her to remain behind and the kids are now old enough that they are no longer a burden but a joy to travel with.
I would not hesitate to fly United again on a longhaul flight, though I’m really not keen to fly in economy class on any carrier unless the kids are with me.
You can review this review to my 2019 review of the same plane on the same route here.
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